Tomorrows
by Someone aka Me
Summary: "He saves her life. Or, well, that's not entirely accurate. He doesn't kill her, which is sort of the same thing, in a war zone. But not really." HermioneTheo.


For MissBlueZeus for the GGE 2014, who requested Hermione/anyone but Ron. I hope you like Hermione/Theodore :)

.

He saves her life.

Or, well, that's not entirely accurate.

He doesn't kill her, which is sort of the same thing, in a war zone.

But not really.

.

Spells fly everywhere. Death Eaters in masks fight everyone else. Slytherins in ties make themselves targets, declare their loyalties — even though that shouldn't be proof enough.

The best strategy is to shoot at people who shoot at you, but even that isn't failsafe. It's chaos.

A repulsion charm hits her. She goes flying; her back hits the wall, then her head. Hard. He hears it crack and turns to look.

She's dropped her wand, an unforgivable lapse. She's blinking hard, her eyes unfocused.

Her opponent has already turned to someone else. No one notices her lying there.

He does.

He steps closer, hovering above her. He doesn't wear his Slytherin tie. He doesn't wear his robes, his sweater. He wears no trace of green and silver.

It's a declaration of its own, to those who know him.

He offers her his hand. Stands her up, taps her head and casts a spell to clear it. He summons her wand and passes it to her.

She still seems dazed, but he just smiles and disappears back into the fray.

.

She finds him later, in the aftermath. She looks at him, her eyes searching for something he doesn't think she finds.

"Why?" she asks eventually. It means, _Why did you save me?_ It means, _Why did you make the choice you made?_

He shrugs. "Because I don't believe in autocracy?"

She looks contemplative.

"Nor do I," she says eventually. And then she leaves.

.

The next time he sees her, it is over a year later. He works in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. She's just gotten a job in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She shows up looking for information on International creature regulations, trying to get the information cross-filed in both departments, trying to consolidate and _fix things_ because that's sort of what she does.

She smiles as she thanks him.

As she leaves, she turns back. "Would you like to join me for lunch today?"

"I've already eaten," he says, and he watches her face fall. "Maybe tomorrow?" He isn't sure why he says it, only that the disappointed look on her face makes something inside of him twist. He wants it to go away.

Her face lights up again. "I'd like that."

.

"Why?" he asks, and she knows what he means. _Why have you asked me here?_

"Because you saved me, and I don't know anything about you besides the fact that you don't believe in autocracy." She grins. He notices that she's prettiest when she smiles.

He can't help the faint smile in return.

"What do you want to know?"

She taps her chin thoughtfully.

"What do you love, Theodore Nott?"

He blinks. That was not the question he was expecting. That was not even in the _realm _of questions he was expecting.

"I love my mother," he says eventually, but she shakes her head.

"Not _who _do you love. _What_."

He takes his bottom lip between his teeth, a poor habit he's been trying to kick.

"I love making things make sense," he says eventually. She smiles, and he feels oddly like he's passed some sort of test.

.

She's kind of brilliant, Hermione Granger. And he's always known that in a vague, abstract sort of way but he's seeing it concretely now. She isn't just good at reading. She is eloquent and expressive and he's falling in love with listening to her ramble because he can see the way her mind works, see the beautiful progression of logic. She spins words like a spider spins thread, making something out of nothing, forming patterns and making sense of the world.

It's beautiful and he doesn't really mean to fall for her, but he sort of does anyway.

.

"Why?" he asks again, months later. This time it means, _why do you continue to ask me?_

"Because, Theodore Nott, you are interesting. I like interesting people."

He thinks, _you are interesting, too_. He doesn't say it.

.

She kisses him. It is a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. Her lips are soft. She has to push herself up on tiptoes to reach him. She puts a hand on his shoulder, pushes herself up and then presses her lips to hers. It is brief, gentle. She is warm. She vanishes before he can say anything.

.

It is the first time he seeks her out, rather than the other way around. He finds her in her office, head bent over some paperwork.

"Would you like to join me for lunch today?" he asks.

She smirks as she replies, "I've already eaten. Maybe tomorrow?"

He grins softly. "I'd like that."


End file.
